24 Facts About Robert Courts

Robert Alexander Courts was born on 21 October 1978 and is a British politician and barrister who served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport from 2020 to 2022.

Robert Courts retained his seat in the 2017 and 2019 general elections.

Robert Courts was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs from 2019 to 2020.

Robert Courts's father Ian Courts is a solicitor, company director, and the Conservative leader of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

Robert Courts was schooled at Berkhamsted School, where he was head of Fry's House, before reading law at the University of Sheffield.

Robert Courts worked in Wellington, New Zealand, at the Crown Law Office for the New Zealand Government in 2009.

Robert Courts stood as a Council candidate in Solihull in 2002 but was unsuccessful.

Robert Courts was elected a Conservative member of West Oxfordshire District Council in 2014.

Robert Courts supported the successful 'Leave' campaign in the EU referendum on 23 June 2016.

Robert Courts retained the seat for the Conservatives in the 20 October 2016 by-election, but his majority of 5,702 was considerably smaller than the 25,155-strong majority Cameron won in the 2015 general election.

Robert Courts is a member of the eurosceptic European Research Group, having subscribed in April 2017.

Robert Courts increased his majority to over 21,000 in the 2017 general election.

Robert Courts was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in January 2018, but resigned as a PPS on 15 July 2018, in protest of the White Paper on Exiting the European Union and the Chequers Agreement.

Robert Courts was a supporter of the proposed free trade deal with Australia and New Zealand, describing it as a "no-brainer".

Robert Courts is credited by the House of Commons library with helping to lead the "parliamentary pressure" that led to the announcement of the Ministry of Defence's Combat Air Strategy, the programme for the eventual replacement of the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Robert Courts represents RAF Brize Norton, the largest RAF base in the UK, and serves as the vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Armed Forces.

In October 2018, the Parliamentary commissioner for standards found Robert Courts had breached rules by using official stationery in campaign updates.

Robert Courts was elected to the Transport Committee in October 2018.

Robert Courts was a member of the Justice Select Committee between January and December 2019.

Robert Courts has said that EDMs are generally tabled by MPs on behalf of "lobbyists or groups keen to show themselves as doing something", that they are "politically impotent" and a waste of taxpayers' money.

Robert Courts was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 8 September 2020.

In June 2022, Robert Courts was held partly accountable for the aviation travel crisis in UK airports.

Robert Courts is married to Kathryn; they have two young children, and live in the village of Bladon, Oxfordshire.

Robert Courts has been a member of the Churchill Centre for many years, and reviews books about Winston Churchill in the quarterly journal, Finest Hour.